Code Geass

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, setting, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. All other concepts and ideas from other books or stories belong to their respective authors. No copyright infringement is intended.

Zero Requiem:

Lelouch's greatest failing was also his greatest strength. When he set his mind to achieving something there was no force in existence that could sway him from his path. As he lay dying before his beloved sister Nunnally he saw once again how this single mindedness could hurt his loved ones. It was hardly surprising his Geass induced Absolute Obedience seeing how he was as much a slave to his goals as others were to him.

Mind now free from the last of his three purposes. Having avenged himself and Nunnally with the Death of Charles zi Britannia, uncovered the truth of his mother's murder and laying the groundwork for Nunnally's peaceful world his mind was ready and waiting for new purpose.

"I love you brother, all I ever wanted was to be with you."

Through the haze death was bringing about Lelouch heard his sister's anguished sobs. Though sluggish the genius mind that had allowed him victory over his foes set to the task of fulfilling this new order.

He was dying, this was unacceptable. Medical attention was unlikely even if he hadn't made sure none would be available.

He couldn't move, talk, breath or even blink.

Truthfully besides thinking there was only one thing left.

So he brought his flagging will to bear and forced his geass to awaken and with the strength that had allowed him to overpower God he made his desire reality.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The first thing he heard was a gunshot. The simultaneous change in scenery as well as physical structure, coupled with the kickback from the weapon in his left hand caused him to stumble. Maybe it was morbid but the sight of Clovis dead Body filled him with happiness.

He couldn't remember the exact wording of his Geass, likely his impending demise was fault for this lack of detail as his Memory was usually rather sharp. Either way this was an auspicious moment. The way things were Cornelia and Euphemia were both set to come to Area 11, which he heartily approved. Besides, he could go straight home to Nunnally now. He was a bit disappointed that he had already geassed Villeta but should he get the chance he could always correct that blunder with the Geass canceler.

Maybe he could replace his left eye with one of those, a Cybernetic eye could be very useful in any number of situations.

"Hmmmm..."

Incidentally Nunnally would probably like a new set of eyes too. On his way home he made a few geassed sleeper agents, a skill he had honed to perfection as Emperor.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Ashford Academy

After entering Ashford Academy through the wonderfully convenient tunnels the elder Lamperouge took a moment to bask in the the calm night always brought to his third home.

Moving on he entered the student council building, taking note of the darkness. It was likely that Nunnally and Sayoko were already asleep.

After doing his best to wash up quietly he made his way to his sisters room, Leaving a note on the table to inform Sayoko he wished to speak with her, taking care that their agreed upon markings were present to make clear he was under no duress. A useful precaution that had allowed him to surreptitiously inform Sayoko that she needed to be prepared when more illicit gambling partners stooped to surveillance and intimidation.

Silently entering the room Lelouch gazed upon his sister. He was not surprised that her sleep was restless as his maid had informed him of her worry the last time around. Nunna had never been a heavy sleeper after the attack on Aries Villa so all he needed to do was softly rub her shoulder to wake her up.

"Nunnally, wake up I'm home."

That she stiffened immediately on waking was not lost on him and he vowed to do everything he could to free her from her fears.

When her hand flashed out faster than he could hope to react and wrapped around his neck, only to to relax again when she felt whatever she was looking for Lelouch was once again reminded that where he had taken after his father Nunnally had undoubtedly taken after their mother. Had Charles not taken her eyesight a slightly customized knightmare would have made her a terror on the battlefield even without use of her legs.
"Ah, Lulu your back. Are you ok?"

The sleepy tone combined with her obvious joy as she fumblingly checked him for injuries almost had him cooing outloud. Of course he was much too hardcore for that so he sat down on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on his cheek (conveniently removing her hand from the bruising on his chest). In his warmest tone of voice he said: "I'm fine Nunnally. I got caught up in some trouble in the Shinjuku Ghetto but I made it out alright."

She started fussing about him in an almost panic.

"Are you sure you're not injured?! should I call for Sayoko? Milly?"

Outwardly he only chuckled but on the inside he was practically drowning in happiness knowing that Nunnally cared.

"No need I'm fine. I just needed to reassure myself that you were ok."
He let out a squawk of surprise when Nunnally pulled him into the bed. They had often shared beds after Marianne's "death" and during the fall of Japan to reassure each other. Something Lelouch had done his level best to hide from everyone, especially Suzaku, was that contrary to what most people might assume Nunnally was almost always the big spoon. After some righteous indignation and futile arguing Lulu submitted and made himself comfortable. Nunnally giggled quietly.
"I've missed this. we have do this more often."

His huff labeled him Tsun-dere in an instant.

Nunnally would, with Milly and Sayoko's help, make sure the scene repeated as often as possible. She was appalled to notice she had been slacking in her wif...sisterly duties.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Outside the door Sayoko blushed profusely. Hearing sounds that, to her mind, could only be proof of her master and mistress carnal relationship. Truly Master Lelouch was a virile man. The entire female population of the school wasn't enough, now even his sister had succumbed to his charm. As his maid she would soon have to fend him off herself, she was sure. With a giggle hitherto reserved for the student council president she made her way back to her room. The note on the dining table would only serve to confirm her suspicions.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Lelouch found himself glad Nunnally was an early riser. He had much to do for the next three days if he planned to be ready for Suzaku's execution. First he used his not inconsiderable charisma to greet Kallen.

"It warms my heart to see you well Miss Stadtfeld. I would like to invite you to lunch in the student council room at three. The President would like to speak with you."

He bowed, kissed the back of her hand, smiled and walked off. It was a bit flamboyant even for him but his time as Zero and the Demon Emperor had left its mark.

Leaving behind a thoroughly discombobulated Kallen and a number onlookers that memorised this momentous occasion so they could gossip with their friends about the school prince losing his mind. The fangirls decided to interpret this moment as either: proof of Lelouch's innate goodness, a symptom of the fever he was no doubt suffering through nobly, or a signs of the coming apocalypse.

A quick jog (more like a fast walk though equally taxing for the physically challenged for emperor) brought him through the school and to his second meeting, which was with Millicents Grandfather, Ruben Ashford. Owner and Principal of the school. Not even bothering with a greeting the former Emperor simply started with a Geass.

"All commands I give you while my Geass is active and I am indicating you will be treated as a subroutine of this primary command."

He then gave a LONG list of commands as well as triggers and so forth including but not limited to a Weekly portfolio that listed all significant actions taken, a summary of his assets and the self-termination command invoked by saying "all hail the Morrigan".

Lelouch had actually come up with this method while he was testing geass on himself with the help of a geass canceler. Since the command would always trigger when evoked he could basically use the first command as an input terminal. This came with the added advantage that he could "delete" obsolete commands and so on. Its main drawback was that it took a bit longer to set up, so if he were in front of a firing squad, like when he received his Geass, this method was not practical.

When he finished with the rather exhaustive list Lelouch stopped his Geass, an ability he no longer took for granted, and politely greeted the Principal.

None of his commands had activated yet which told him first and foremost that Ruben was trustworthy, at least for the moment. He was quite happy he hadn't been forced to infringe upon his grandfather figures free will.
"Good morning Ruben, as I am sure you know I have been... acquiring funds for a while now. I finally have a goal to spend them towards. Tell me, how would you like to get back into making Knightmares?"

The talk that followed served to remind Ruben Ashford that the slacking persona Lelouch wore was only a small facet of the man.

By the time they finished it was nearly afternoon and he had a comprehensive plan to start businesses ranging from Knightmare production to bio engineering and enhancement as well as healthcare and all manner of RND.

Ruben would have been worried about how the other Nobles might react to the Ashfords attempting to claw their way back to power. Luckily the staggering debts, Blackmail material and favors owed to Lelouch neatly tied that problem up.

Of course that didn't mean they wouldn't all be Geassed as insurance ( not that Ruben knew that).

Once their talk finished and Lelouch left Ruben set to work and wondered if just maybe he wouldn't have to marry of Millicent to keep the family from going under. He would have to see how this panned out first though.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Finding Milly so he could get this next part out of the way proved rather difficult. Thankfully he found her, he was less than happy that he found her in the fantasy seduction clubhouse, not very surprised though.

"Hey Milly, I need two favors from you. I've noticed that Kallen Stadtfeld isn't taking part in any clubs. Her health makes it very difficult to participate in most of them and she might be feeling out of the loop because of it."

"Ooooh, has my Lelouch finally become interested in someone? Shirly will be devastated." she teased, while dressing one of the girls present in a pikachu costume. "But yes, I see your point. A constant group will likely do her some good and the student council privileges should ease her schooling somewhat. When do you want her over?"

"I invited her to come around at three so she will be here in an hour. This way she can jump right in and help Balance the club Funding."

After they shared an evil chuckle Milly gave him a warm hug.

"You were out late yesterday, everything ok?"

"Yeah everything's going ok. Don't worry about me. Make sure you tell me if anything goes wrong on your end as well." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Anyway I have to go now. Just thought you should know someone might be staying over for a while. If you need to meet for security reasons or something let me know. Bie!"

With a peck on the other cheek he scurried off before a flustered miss Ashford could get her bearings straight and demand more information.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

After returning home ( conveniently skipping PE) Lelouch called for Sayoko. Watching her appear from a corner that as far as he could tell had been empty only moments ago only served to solidify his decision. Taking a seat he began:

"Know that I am supremely thankful that you watch out for Nunnally and I. You are one of three people I trust to watch over my sister, which places you above any family I posses. Before I go on is there anything you desire from me? With very few exceptions I will do my utmost to grant it in thanks for your exemplary service."

Sayoko wasn't sure where this had come from but it was abundantly clear this was not the time for flights of fancy.

In an instant the aloof shell her master cloaked himself in fell away and revealed a man who she was sure could command the world by force of will alone.

The previous clan Head, her grandfather, sometimes showed a presence in this vein. Though Lelouch outclassed him as the Himalayas would a common hill.

Taking a knee she considered this seriously, anything less would be a grave insult.

"My Lord you honor me with your words! My clan is directionless, we survive on freelance work. We lack both purpose and funds. I would ask that you take my clan as a branch of your own. In particular I have three sisters that are all highly skilled. With the death of Prince Clovis and the resulting unrest having help to maintain Your and the Mistress safety as well as that of the academy would be, while not crucial, very helpful."

Lelouch was caught somewhat off guard as the Shinozuka had never truly asked for anything in regards for her clan besides a minor request for land that he had allowed with little questions, as she was his most loyal servant. Still he would keep his word.
"Very well. I will take your clan under my wing, give you purpose and all you need to thrive. So I say, so I swear."

"Thank you my Lord. As your subordinate there are a number of things to see to if I am to keep you and the Mistress safe. Until my sisters arrive Nunnally's safety is to be my primary concern, correct?"

"Yes, Nunnally is your primary concern as she cannot defend herself yet. Within the next few days a woman with Green hair and Golden eyes will come here. She is not an enemy. But should be treated with caution. Inform her that I will speak with her as soon as I have time."

"Yes my Lord."

"Sayoko, I will have much for you and your clan to do. Japan will be going through some very severe turmoil for the next few years. As your clan is now my responsibility as well I will need a comprehensive report ranging from methods to history, ideology, personnel and so on. The more the better, you are likely to become integral to my plans. A day after I receive that data we will have another talk and you will be told as much information as I can give you so that you may fulfill your duties to the best of your abilities."

"Yes, my Lord."

"You are dismissed."

He sent her one of his few real smiles as she faded into the darkness. A good thing too or he might have seen her blush.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

In his Bathroom, having closed the door and checked for any monitoring methods, Lelouch took out a pen and paper. Looked up and said: " Designation DE-0000-LL-LVB system diagnostic."

Seeing that the paper was still empty a number of things became clearer. The first and most important was that his self targeted Geass commands were no longer in effect. From this he could deduce that it was likely all his Geass (from the first time through, excluding Villeta Bertram and so on) were no longer in effect. This needed to be tested immediately as he did not want to once again fail to geass Kallen.

Still his first step would have to be re-programming himself. It had as Emperor become abundantly clear that he suffered from a wide gamut of psychological problems. Some of them were rather beneficial, his psychopathy and Machiavellianism having enabled many of the victories he had achieved, but others often did more harm than good, his at best borderline narcissism for example. With the help of his geass many of them could be "switched on and off" by command. But there was much more utility to it than that! With some careful wording he had managed to simulate photographic memory! Though it was limited to short snapshots it was perfect to remember secret documents or important blueprints.

The "system diagnostic" was created to allow a fairly unbiased review of himself as well as show which commands were active, such the laugh maniacally on demand command, what his current overarching goals were and which mental distortions were currently unsuppressed.

Getting back on task Lelouch spent the next 25 minutes setting everything up again. He even had to change his own designation. Now L2-DE-0000-LL-LVB. After which he took the remaining few minutes to freshen up for the meeting.